


An Evening at the Fairground

by perductus



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Amusement Parks, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-15
Updated: 2015-01-15
Packaged: 2018-03-07 17:27:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3177654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perductus/pseuds/perductus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aoi Asahina takes her class to a fairground.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Evening at the Fairground

The calm hubbub of Friday’s lunch break came to a sudden halt as Aoi Asahina leapt into the dining hall and slammed a flyer onto the table where the majority of her classmates sat.

‘Listen up, everyone!’ She announced. ‘There’s a fun-fair in town tonight and I think we should all go!’

A murmur broke out across the table. Leon Kuwata reached across and took the flyer to examine it, before passing it around.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru frowned. ‘Asahina-kun, it is extremely sudden of you to sudden spring this upon us! We still have classes today! Are you suggesting we skive our scheduled classes in favour of a fairground?’

Aoi slapped her palm against her head. Of course Kiyotaka would rebuff her. ‘No, stupid, I meant we go _after_ school!’

‘That sounds like fun!’ Sayaka chimed in, clapping her hands together.

‘I agree with Maizono-san,’ Celestia nodded. ‘Especially since we are nearing the end of this semester, it would be nice to let off some steam outside of school.’

‘I like your thinking, Celes-chan!’ Aoi grinned. She turned back to Kiyotaka, arms folded. Surely with Celestia’s reasoning he would have no reason to prevent the trip.

There was a pause. Everyone at the table looked to Kiyotaka as he sat with a furrowed brow.

‘I will permit it!’ He slammed a fist onto the table. ‘As long as everyone’s minds remain focused on their schoolwork during lessons this afternoon!

A cheer resounded, though most ignored the last part of Kiyotaka’s sentence.

Aoi pumped her fist before turning to Sakura. ‘This is gonna be awesome, Sakura-chan!’

Sakura smiled serenely. ‘I look forward to it.’

 

* * *

 

The final class of the day could not have gone slower for Aoi. The teacher drawled on and on, the seconds dragged by and she genuinely thought they would never leave. But of course, as is the nature of these things, the bell rung and within an hour and a half, her entire class (including those of a more anti-social inclination) stood just inside the entrance to the bright, colourful mess of flashing lights that was the fairground.

The sound of joyous screams and the smell of grease and cotton candy swept through the air, colourful rides all moving at once, blending with the darkening night sky. A grin began to spread across Aoi’s face. Her eyes darted from the carousel to the chair-swings, the waltzer to the rollercoaster –

_A rollercoaster!_

Rollercoasters had always been her very favourite attraction. Aoi recalled before her time at Hopes Peak, her younger brother’s ninth birthday. Her family took them on a trip to a theme park. Yuta clamored to ride the tallest and most daring rollercoaster, so of course they did. Ironically, when the bars lifted at the end of the ride, and set the Asahina clan free – Yuta sported the greenest of faces and swore never to ride a rollercoaster again.

Aoi, however, absolutely loved it. She rode it again and again, even riding it by herself when her family got bored. That rollercoaster was wonderful, and she never, ever, wanted to get off.

Aoi turned to face her friends. ‘Hey, everyone!’ She waved her hand to attract their attention. ‘I vote we ride the rollercoaster first!’

The responding sound was a fifty-fifty mix of agreement noises and disgruntled groans.

‘C’mon, guys! Rollercoasters are the best!’ Aoi pumped her fists. ‘Right, Sakura-chan?’

‘I have never ridden one before,’ Sakura replied. ‘But tonight would but as good as any night to break that tradition.’

‘Yay!’ Aoi danced on the spot. Her attention snapped back to her friends. ‘Because this is the first ride, I want EVERYONE to go on it! No excuses!’

Celestia frowned, preening her immaculate hairstyle. ‘I did not come here tonight with the intention of ruining my hair,’ she sniffed.

‘Yo, Celes-chi,’ Yasuhiro clapped a hand onto Celestia’s shoulder. She stiffened. ‘We’re in the same boat here! I got hair to worry about too!’ He laughed. ‘Here’s the plan: you unwrap your scarf from round your neck, and drape it over your hair instead – that way you’re keeping it safe from the wind!’

Celestia’s perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched. ‘Really? How about I wrap my scarf around your neck instead?’ Her icy glare made the winter’s breeze feel like a summer one.

Yasuhiro laughed. ‘You don’t need to do that, Celes-chi! I’ve got my own already!’

‘C’mon, everyone!’ Aoi bounded towards the growing queue to ride the rollercoaster. If they didn’t hurry, they’d be waiting all night.

The group followed her, slower than she would have liked but when they reached the back of the line, she was thrilled to see that no one had chickened out. Yet.

Peering over the heads of the crowd, Aoi could see the platform where other fairground goers were being loaded on and off the bright red carriages. She turned to Sakura.

‘You have to ride it in twos,’ said Aoi. ‘Let’s go together!’

Sakura looked to where Aoi pointed. ‘I’m afraid that those cars might be too small for us both to fit,’ she chuckled. ‘I will have to ride this one alone – but I will make sure to sit behind you.’

Disappointed, Aoi scanned their group of friends for an alternate riding buddy. Her eyes fell on Touko Fukawa, who stood just behind Sakura, fiddling with her scarf and eyes fixed on the floor. Aoi was surprised that Touko agreed to come out tonight. The girl was known for purposefully excluding herself from social gatherings. Though the pair didn’t really speak, Aoi didn’t like seeing anyone left out – plus, it’d probably be for the best if she scooped Touko up first before letting her trail hopelessly after Byakuya all night.

‘Fukawa-chan!’

Touko’s head snapped up.

‘Do you wanna ride the rollercoaster with me?’

A doubtful look crossed Touko’s face. She glanced over her shoulder, chewing her lip.

A small sigh escaped Aoi as she reached forward and grasped hold of Touko’s elbow, tugging her into her and Sakura’s bit of the queue. Touko squeaked in protest.

‘You officially have no choice,’ said Aoi, looping her arm though Touko’s.

The queue moved forwards as another batch of fairground goers were loaded into the cars. Aoi, Sakura and Touko now stood at the very front of the line.

A commotion sounded further back in the queue. Leon appeared at Sakura’s shoulder, flanked by Yasuhiro, Makoto and a disgruntled looking Byakuya. Though if Aoi was going to be honest, there wasn’t really any other kind of Byakuya.

‘Yo, Asahina!’ Leon grinned. ‘Me and Hagakure want to rock it out at the front of the coaster if that’s chill with you.’

Aoi’s jaw dropped. ‘You can’t just barge in front of us! Me, Sakura-chan and Fukawa-chan were here first!’

The rollercoaster arrived at the station and began to unload.

Leon pulled a face. ‘C’mon, Asahina! Give us a break!’

The ride attendant pulled open the gate in front of Aoi and gestured that they could go through.

Aoi opened her mouth to argue but Leon had already barged past her, followed by Yasuhiro and claimed the front seats of the rollercoaster.

‘Hey!’ Tugging Touko with her, Aoi stomped over to the two boys who were high fiving. ‘What’s the big deal?’

‘You were too slow, dude!’ Leon crowed, leaning back in his seat and putting his hands behind his head. ‘Life’s tough like that.’

A noise of irritation puffed out of Aoi’s mouth but Sakura placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘Let’s sit in the car behind them, Asahina.’

‘… Okay, fine.’ Accepting defeat, Aoi pushed Touko into the second car’s front seats. Touko grumbled indignantly. Sakura maneuvered herself into the back seat. Aoi pulled the lap bar down and folded her arms, glaring daggers at the backs of Leon and Yasuhiro’s heads.

Her glare intensified as Makoto and Byakuya joined the offending duo, sitting in the back seats of the first carriage. Makoto twisted round in his seat once his own lap bar was down.

‘Sorry for stealing your spot, Asahina-san,’ he grimaced apologetically. Byakuya snorted.

Aoi rolled her eyes. ‘It doesn’t matter – I bet Kuwata and Hagakure will be screaming like babies during the ride anyway.’

Makoto gave a nervous grin. ‘I probably will be too…’

Next to Aoi, Touko nibbled her little finger. ‘I m-might scream as well… I’ve never been on a rollercoaster b-before.’

Byakuya sighed pointedly. ‘I’ll be surprised if I have any eardrums left by the end of this ordeal.’

A click sounded as the lap bars locked.

Touko leant forwards towards Byakuya, who sat in front of her. ‘C-Can I hold onto you if I g-get scared, Byakuya-sama…?’

Byakuya grimaced. ‘Keep your hands to yourself.’

The rollercoaster jerked into motion, throwing Touko back into her seat.

‘You can hold onto me, Fukawa-chan!’ said Aoi.

Touko scowled and shuffled down into her seat, letting her scarf fold over her mouth as the rollercoaster containing all Aoi’s classmates began the ascent.

 

* * *

 

 

The first thing Leon Kuwata registered when he extracted himself from the rollercoaster was that his legs felt like marshmallows.

‘I didn’t know your vocal range was that high, Kuwata-chi!’ Yasuhiro exclaimed, following Leon out of the car and towards the exit along with the others. ‘You were reaching some hella high Cs there!’

Leon scowled. ‘Shut up! I didn’t realise the ride’d be so… so reckless, y’know?’

Touko snickered behind him. ‘Even I didn’t scream…’

All Leon could do was splutter in denial.

The class spilled out through the exit and back out into the busy fairground. After some petty arguments about what they would do next, Sakura suggested that they split into groups.

Leon immediately latched onto the party containing Sayaka. Perhaps he could persuade her to ride the infamous Tunnel of Love with him. Provided he could chip into the cheerful conversation she was having with Chihiro.

In front of Sayaka and Chihiro, marched Kiyotaka and Mondo, who were engaged in a fearsome debate concerning the rollercoaster.

‘Listen, Ishimaru,’ Mondo threatened. ‘I ain’t the screaming type. You musta heard someone else because it wasn’t me.’

Kiyotaka puffed. ‘You cannot deny it, Oowada-kun! I was situated right next to you on the rollercoaster!’

‘It musta been one of the girls,’ said Mondo. ‘The twins were sittin’ right behind us. I bet it was them.’

‘What are you two arguing about?’ Sayaka broke off her conversation with Chihiro and directed her question at the bickering boys.

Mondo stopped and turned around, jerking a thumb in Kiyotaka’s direction. ‘This smart guy here is tryna say that I screamed like a girl on that rollercoaster.’

Sayaka folded her arms. ‘That’s not a very nice thing to say,’ she said. Mondo smirked at Kiyotaka before Sayaka continued. ‘I didn’t scream at all, and neither did Fujisaki-san, so your stereotype is wrong.’

Chihiro cast their eyes to the floor.

Confusion clouded Mondo’s face. ‘What?’

‘You’re implying that screaming like a girl is a bad thing,’ frowned Sayaka.

‘Well, isn’t it?’ Mondo shrugged. ‘For a guy anyway. Look,’ he squinted at Kiyotaka. ‘The point is, I ain’t no pussy. I ain’t scared of some rollercoaster!’

Kiyotaka scoffed. ‘You speak bold words, Oowada-kun!’

‘How about you find a way to settle it?’ Sayaka suggested. She looked around them and pointed to a haunted house ride a few metres from the group. ‘How about that?’

Kiyotaka, Mondo, Chihiro and Leon turned to look.

‘How about you both ride it and then whoever screams is the loser?’

Rolling up his sleeves, Mondo grinned. ‘Alright, you’re on!’ He began to stride towards the ride. ‘C’mon, Ishimaru! You scared?’

The rest of the group followed Mondo. Kiyotaka stomped towards the entrance to join Mondo, though apprehension ghosted his features.

‘You bet I am ready! I am not about to be spooked by a bunch of props!’ Kiyotaka stated, narrowing his eyes at Mondo.

‘Hey, um,’ Chihiro spoke up. ‘Shouldn’t someone else go in with them?’ They wrung their hands together. ‘You know, to act as a referee of sorts?’

‘You’re right!’ Sayaka nodded. She turned to Leon. ‘What about you, Kuwata-kun?’

Leon froze. ‘Uh…’ He wasn’t about to tell Sayaka about the time in eighth grade when he’d wet himself on a haunted house ride. That was a dark secret he wasn’t about to reveal anytime soon. ‘Y’know I…’ He rooted around in his pockets. ‘…I’ve gone and misplaced all my ride tokens. Sorry.’

‘It’s ok, I’ll go,’ said Chihiro.

‘Won’t you be scared?’ Sayaka asked, concerned.

Chihiro smiled. ‘I’ve played plenty of horror games. I’ll be fine.’

Inwardly, Leon fist-pumped. That meant at least two minutes alone with Sayaka!

Chihiro walked forwards to join Kiyotaka and Mondo at the entrance to the ride. All three placed the required tokens down on the entrance stand and the ride assistant took them. They proceeded into the loading bay and piled into a small car, Chihiro sandwiched between Kiyotaka and Mondo.

‘I ain’t gonna even flinch,’ Mondo hissed over Chihiro’s head.

‘We will see, Oowada-kun,’ replied Kiyotaka. ‘We will see…’

There was a metallic crunch as the car jerked into life. A wooden set of doors creaked open and it soon disappeared into the darkness, doors swinging shut behind Leon’s three classmates.

A lull descended on the remaining pair.

‘So, uh,’ Leon broke the silence. ‘Who do you think’s gonna come out on top?’

Sayaka tilted her head to the side. ‘I couldn’t possibly say.’ She flashed him a pearly white smile. Her teeth were gorgeous – perfectly straight and gleaming. They would have to be, being an idol and all.

Silence fell again. Leon fidgeted. _C’mon Leon,_ he scolded himself. _Talking to Sayaka can’t be that hard._

‘Hey,’ he started again. ‘After this do you wanna go find a different ride to go on?’

‘That would be nice,’ Sayaka replied. ‘Fujisaki-san expressed an interest in the carousel!’

‘No, I meant like,’ Leon chewed the words he wanted to say. ‘Like…’

‘Like…?’

Sayaka’s eyes were so pretty. Leon closed his mouth. Then opened it again. ‘Like…’ A deep breath. ‘Just the two… of us.’

For all his boasting and claims that he was a lady’s man, when it came down to actually talking to Sayaka, Leon was something of a nervous wreck. All the confidence and swagger he displayed was an act. But he’d never say _that_ out loud.

‘Just us?’ questioned Sayaka.

‘Not if you don’t want to, I mean,’ Leon waved his hands in front of him. ‘But like, if you want. I dunno.’

Sayaka looked away from him. ‘I did promise Fujisaki-san that we would ride the carousel,’ she said.

Leon drooped. Thank god no one else was here to witness him being blown off so ruthlessly. He’d never live it down if any of his classmates overheard this.

‘After that, however…’

Leon looked up. She was smiling that gorgeous smile of hers again.

‘After that I would be happy to go on a ride with you!’

A grin spread across his face, but before he had the chance to reply, the doors at the opposite end of the platform flew open and a cart containing three familiar figures burst into view.

‘They’re back!’ Sayaka rushed up to the gate in front of the platform. Leon followed, in doing so got a better look at the faces of Kiyotaka, Mondo and Chihiro.

Kiyotaka and Mondo clutched at each other, frozen in fear. Chihiro leant forwards to avoid being crushed in the boys’ hug, a wide grin on their face.

The ride assistant unlocked the car door and ushered the trio out. Chihiro bounded down the exit stairs.

‘That was so much fun!’ They cried, clapping their hands together.

Mondo and Kiyotaka followed behind, eyes wide and still clutching each other.

‘Oowada? Ishimaru? You guys okay?’ Leon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kiyotaka managed to shake his head, and Mondo spoke. ‘The ghosts, man…’

Sayaka and Leon looked to Chihiro for an explanation.

Chihiro shrugged. ‘I think… I think it’s a draw.’

A pause in which Kiyotaka and Mondo continued to shake.

‘Shall we go and find the carousel?’ Sayaka prompted.

‘Absolutely!’ Chihiro nodded in agreement.

The group began to move away from the haunted house, Mondo and Kiyotaka practically running.

Sayaka held back slightly. ‘After the carousel, you can choose a ride, Kuwata-kun,’ she said.

Leon felt his face flush to match his hair.

 

* * *

 

 

‘Ok, ya scrubs,’ Junko folded her arms across her chest. ‘One of you has got to win me that simply ADORABLE bear!’ She pointed to a massive black and white teddy bear hanging above the stall boasting a hook-a-duck game.

‘W-Why one of us?’ Touko questioned.

After vacating the rollercoaster, Touko was left abandoned by Aoi, who went in favour of spending time with her muscle beast buddy. Left without Aoi clinging to her arm, Touko immediately gravitated towards the group containing Byakuya. At least she might be able to make the evening worthwhile if she were to somehow orchestrate a romantic scene behind the carousel or on the Ferris wheel.

Unfortunately the group also contained Yasuhiro, Hifumi and Junko; all brash idiots with no concept of idyllic settings for blossoming romance, and were more concerned with playing stupid rigged games in hope of winning even stupider prizes.

‘It’s not the same if I win it for myself! It has to be one of my handsome princes!’ Junko’s face twisted into a pout, her eyelashes fluttering. This façade soon crumbled to make way for a mischievous smirk. ‘That’s why it’s gotta be one of you!’ She beamed, before looking straight at Touko. ‘But not you, Fukawa-san; I don’t mind a bit of girl-on-girl action once in a while, but I’ve decided that tonight, this one’s for the boys.’

Insulted, Touko opened her mouth to protest but Byakuya cut across her.

‘Probably wise seeing as just this morning Fukawa managed to throw a pile of books across the history section of the library.’ He sniffed. ‘She’d probably manage to fall into the paddling pool, much less win anything.’

Touko’s cheeks reddened at the mention of her earlier mishap, but was pleased that Byakuya had given the matter enough consideration to want to protect her from public humiliation. So thoughtful of him!

‘So then,’ Junko strode towards the stall and threw out her arms wide. ‘Who is to be the first to accept this challenge?’

‘I would be honored to be the first to try and win the teddy-bear for you, Enoshima Junko-dono!’ Hifumi waddled forwards and dipped his head in a bow.

Junko clasped her hands together. ‘Oh, _goody!_ My first knight approaches!’ She gestured to the stall. ‘Take the stage, Sir Yamada!’

Hifumi proceeded to the counter, where he dug out one of his fairground tokens and placed it down. The long-suffering stall attendee took it and without another word handed Hifumi a long rod with a hook on the end.

‘Says here you got thirty seconds to hook a duck,’ Junko said, tapping the sign nailed to the stall’s post with her painted red nails. ‘To win the bear I want, you have to hook the white duck – so don’t bother with the other colours.’

Hifumi flexed both arms in turn before positioning himself in front of the elaborate paddling pool containing a number of colourful ducks – only one of which was white. He extended the rod towards the paddling pool.

‘Ready?’ The attendee asked, hand poised over a timer.

‘My power levels are fully charged!’

The timer started. Hifumi dipped the rod towards the floating white duck, but every time the hook got anywhere need the loop of wire on the duck’s head, it bobbed away. A series of frustrated grunts accompanied Hifumi’s efforts but by the time the timer signaled that his turn was over, the end of the rod was distinctly duck-less.

Junko cackled. ‘Aw, too bad, Sir Yamada!’

Hifumi handed back his rod, looking thoroughly dejected. He slunk back to stand next to Yasuhiro.

Touko couldn’t help a smirk. An oaf like Hifumi would ever be able to complete a simple task such as hooking a plastic duck.

‘Hagakure-kun! Buck up ‘cos you’re next!’ Junko extended a finger, beckoning Yasuhiro towards the stall. ‘You’d better shape up better than the last gallant sir who tried to win my honor.’

Yasuhiro blanched. ‘Wait, are we hooking the duck to win the teddy bear or to win your hand in marriage? Cos if that’s the case I’m going to have to opt out of this because I’m already technically betrothed to a nice girl I met in a fast food restaurant this one time and she said our marriage was written in the stars and you know, I’m not really one to go against the stars—‘

Junko cut him off by thumping her fist down onto the counter. ‘It’s for the teddy bear, you cretin.’

Yasuhiro, and everyone else, jumped.

‘Yes, ma’am!’ Without further hesitation he traded a token for a rod and nodded at the attendee, who began the timer.

Yasuhiro’s attempts at hooking the elusive white duck turned out to be just as good as his so-called fortune telling ability.

‘Tooooooo bad, Sir Hagakure,’ Junko’s sing-song voice taunted, snatching the rod out of his hand. ‘I guess you’re gonna have to go home to your fast-food wife and tell her that you failed Queen Junko’s challenge.’

She administered a shove to Yasuhiro’s shoulder. He shuffled back to stand with Hifumi and Touko.

At this point, Touko wondered whether Junko would ever get the bear she wanted so badly.

Junko turned and lobbed the rod in Byakuya’s direction. ‘Catch!’

Byakuya caught the rod with one hand, a scowl on his face as he sneered at it. ‘You really think I’m going to subject myself to some stupid game for children?’

‘Uh, yeah?’ Arms folded, Junko raised an eyebrow. ‘You got a problem with that?’

In way of an answer, Byakuya stepped forward to the spot where Hifumi and Yasuhiro previously stood and previously failed.

Touko gripped the ends of her scarf. Surely Byakuya would triumph where those of lesser linage than him had failed? But then again… winning meant he’d have to give his well-earned prize to Big Tits McGee. Blegh.

Byakuya dropped a token down onto the counter, without even looking at the attendant.

‘Your thirty seconds start now!’ Junko nodded to the attendant who started the timer.

The rod in Byakuya’s hands dipped towards the pool of plastic ducks. The white duck floated somewhere to the left, having been moved there by the previous efforts of Yasuhiro and Hifumi.

Touko leant forwards, along with the other three spectators, as the hook hovered tantalizingly close to the loop of wire on the white duck’s head.

‘Twenty seconds remaining!’ Junko crowed.

Byakuya’s concentrated scowl hardened and Touko forgot to breathe as the hook brushed the duck’s head, causing the plastic bird to float a few centimetres away from the rod.

A cheer sounded from Yasuhiro. ‘C’mon, Togami-chi!’

‘Teeeeeeeen seconds!’

Touko realised she’d pulled a thread lose on her scarf from gripping it so tight.

A slight twitch of Byakuya’s wrist swung the rod back towards the duck. The hook made contact with the wire again. The spectators watched with baited breath.

‘Three seconds!’

The hook slipped through the loop of wire and water droplets splattered the side of the small paddling pool as Byakuya lifted the rod out of the water, the white duck dangling from the end.

Yasuhiro and Hifumi began to perform some kind of victory dance, while Junko slow-clapped, a vaguely impressed smirk on her face. Touko jumped up and down on the stop, releasing her scarf from her clutches and applauding wildly. Of course Byakuya would be the one to succeed at this petty game – could there ever have been any other outcome? Touko didn’t think so.

‘It seems we have a victor,’ said Junko, making jazz hands in Byakuya’s direction.

Byakuya unhooked the white duck from the rod and placed both items on the counter. The attendant turned and retrieved the black and white teddy bear from the display shelf and handed it over to Byakuya. Prize in hand, he turned to Junko, examining the teddy bear with disdain.  ‘I still don’t see why you couldn’t have done it yourself,’ he commented.

Junko shimmied towards him. ‘It wouldn’t have been _nearly_ as fun!’ She reached out to take the toy but Byakuya held it away from her.

‘What makes you think I’m actually going to give you this?’

Junko blinked. ‘Huh?’

Byakuya snorted. ‘I never said I was going to let you have it after I won it.’ He turned and walked a few steps away from her. ‘If you wanted this stuffed animal so badly, you should have won it for yourself.’

Touko, Yasuhiro and Hifumi watched Junko splutter. ‘That’s not fair!’ She stomped her foot, creating a muddy footprint.

‘On the contrary,’ Byakuya smirked. ‘It’s entirely fair. I won, therefore I get the prize.’

For once, Junko Enoshima was flawed. Her mouth hung open in pure rage. After a moment she closed it. And smiled, her lip curling over her flawless teeth. ‘You sure do know how to make a girl despair, Togami-kun…!’

A slightly look of confusion crossed everyone’s faces.

A snap of Junko’s fingers brought attention back. ‘Come on Hagakure, Yamada. We’re going to go and find my sister. She’ll win me something good.’

She turned on her heel and sauntered away in the direction of some of the other stalls, Hifumi quick to scramble after her.

Yasuhiro remained standing with Touko. ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to do anything else for Enoshima-chi. I’m still not convinced that she isn’t going to bind me in a marital contract without me realizing…’

Both Touko and Byakuya rolled their eyes before Byakuya spoke. ‘I still have ridiculous amount of useless tokens. Let’s go and find some other pointless attraction to spend them on.’

‘Good idea, Togami-chi!’ Yasuhiro nodded. ‘I did ask the man at the token vender whether the tokens could be used as an exchange for goods in the real world but he advised against it. Though I’m sure I’ve seen currency like this somewhere…’

The unlikely trio moved away from the hook-a-duck stall. The attendant breathed a sigh of relief, and returned his attention to his phone.

Yasuhiro carried on babbling about money and conspiracy theories, none of which Touko or Byakuya were paying much attention to.

‘Ooh, look!’ Yasuhiro cut himself off, pointing at another game stand, this time one where the player had to throw a ball at a pile of cans. ‘That looks like something I did in Singapore one time!’

He pelted off in the direction of the stall, leaving Touko and Byakuya walking at a slower pace behind.

‘Here.’

Touko suddenly found her arms full of teddy bear. ‘Huh?’

‘I don’t want it,’ Byakuya stated.

‘Why n-not?’ Touko stared at him. He was… giving her the teddy bear he’d won? Giving it to her, after he refused to give it to Junko?

‘Do I really look like kind of person who has any use for a stuffed toy?’

‘N-No…’ Touko tilted her head. ‘But… you d-didn’t want to give it to Junko so I thought…’

‘Of course I wasn’t going to give it to her,’ scoffed Byakuya. ‘She didn’t deserve it.’

‘But I deserve it…?’

A pause. He rolled his eyes and began to quicken his pace. ‘Just take the bear. You’ll probably find a use for it.’ He sped off after Yasuhiro, leaving Touko clutching the teddy bear.

She couldn’t suppress a grin as she hugged the bear to her chest. He’d won her a prize! At the fair! Maybe tonight wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

 

* * *

 

Makoto hadn’t really expected that at any point in the evening he would have a hunting rifle dumped in his arms. But at the fair, there are shooting ranges. And he had been pressganged into attempting one by the three girls who stood around him.

‘Perhaps you could try and win Kirigiri-san something, Naegi-kun,’ Celestia had smiled superciliously, with the air that she clearly didn’t think he’d be able to cut it.

Kyouko had blushed but said, ‘How about it, Naegi-kun?’

Mukuro had remained silent.

So here he stood, holding a gun that was really too big for him and under the watchful eye of three girls who were all probably ten times better with a gun than he.

The aim of the game was to shoot down three targets situated in a colourful setting behind the counter. The targets were little gnomes with different coloured hats. To win you had to shoot a blue, a red, and a green-hatted gnome. If you hit the black-hatted gnome, you failed.

‘Ready?’ The assistant behind the counter asked.

‘…Ready,’ Makoto nodded, trying to ignore the stares of Kyouko, Celestia and Mukuro.

The wooden gnomes began to hop up and down in the equally wooden scenery. Makoto aimed. Makoto shot.

Makoto hit the black-hatted gnome.

The gnomes stopped dancing and a buzzer sounded.

‘Too bad,’ the assistant shrugged, taking the rifle off Makoto.

Makoto turned, face red. Celestia began to slow-clap but Kyouko smiled reassuringly.

‘Don’t worry, Naegi-kun,’ she said. ‘The first time I ever fired a gun I nearly shot my next-door neighbour.’

Makoto thought it was maybe not the time to ask why Kyouko had been shooting a gun anywhere near her next-door neighbour. She probably wouldn’t explain the story even if he did ask.

Celestia stepped forward and placed a token down on the counter. ‘I would like to show you how it is done, Naegi-kun.’

Makoto’s forehead creased. Great. Now Celestia was going to absolutely blow him out of the water. It really did suck being the average guy in a class full of extraordinary students. 

Celestia took aim as the gnomes jumped into life.

_Bang!_

Makoto, Kyouko and Mukuro jumped as a gnome with a red hat was sent flying backwards.

_Bang!_

The blue-hatted gnome joined its fallen comrade.

_Bang!_

A third gnome fell. The gnomes stopped dancing. Celestia placed the gun back on the counter and twirled around with a smug smile on her face. ‘That is how it is done, Naegi-kun.’

A buzzer sounded.

‘Sorry to burst your bubble,’ the assistant chipped in, holding up the last gnome. ‘But this was a black gnome.’

Celestia turned on him. ‘What?’

‘It’s a black gnome. You lose. Sorry.’

Celestia’s eye began to twitch, her fingers jerking. ‘What…? What did you say?’

‘That’s the rules,’ the assistant shrugged.

Celestia clenched her fist and it seemed that a ball of rage was about to be unleashed. Kyouko stepped forward and placed a hand on her arm. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

Taking a deep breath through her nose, Celestia backed away from the counter, glaring daggers at the boy. Makoto felt sorry for the poor guy. He probably wasn’t getting paid enough to have to deal with Celestia.

‘I’d like to try.’

Kyouko, Celestia and Makoto looked to Mukuro, who gripped a token in her fist.

Celestia pursed her lips.

Mukuro stepped forward and dropped the token on the counter. Without waiting for instruction, she wielded the rifle and nodded at the assistant. The gnomes began to dance.

_Bang! Bang! Bang! Bangbangbang!_

Every single coloured gnome was blasted from its podium, one by one. Makoto watched, jaw dropped and eyes wide.

With one last shot, Mukuro sent the last coloured gnome flying out of the scenery. The only gnomes that remained were ones with black hats. She placed down the rifle as a fanfare sounded.

The assistant’s face mirrored Makoto’s.

‘I’ll have the rabbit,’ Mukuro stated. The assistant reached up and retrieved an oversized pink and white rabbit toy and gave it to Mukuro.

Mukuro turned and thrust it into Kyouko’s arms. ‘You can pretend Naegi-kun won it for you if you want.’ She flashed Kyouko a toothy smile. ‘Or you can take it from me. I don’t mind.’

‘Thank you, Ikusaba-san,’ said Kyouko. 

Mukuro blushed, while Celestia ground her teeth and Makoto felt a little less than adequate. Maybe they should find an activity that wasn’t competitive. Or that didn’t involve guns.

Makoto shouldn’t have been surprised really. Mukuro _was_ the Ultimate Soldier.

 

* * *

 

After failing miserably at the ball throwing game, Yasuhiro dragged Touko and Byakuya off in search of candyfloss, or cotton candy depending on what part of the world one found themselves in. He had been shocked to learn that neither Byakuya nor Touko had ever tried the pink sugary treat, so promised to treat them both. It didn’t seem to bother Yasuhiro that neither of his reluctant companions were wildly enthusiastic about the hunt.

As they trudged around the brightly lit fair, Touko hugged the teddy bear to her chest, partly for warmth but also because she still couldn’t believe that Byakuya had really given it to her. Or that he was still going around with her at all. It would have been perfect, had it not been for Yasuhiro’s presence.

‘Togami-chi, Fukawa-chi!’ Yasuhiro pointed excitedly to a vendor where fluffy pink clouds hung cocooned in plastic bags. ‘We’ve found it!’

‘It’s hardly the lost city of El Dorado,’ Byakuya scorned, following Yasuhiro to the food stall nonetheless.

‘I want the largest stick of cotton candy that this many tokens can buy,’ Yasuhiro told the vendor, dropping all his remaining tokens onto the counter.

‘Tokens aren’t valid for food,’ the teenager behind the counter replied. Yasuhiro stared at the tokens with suspicion.

Byakuya sighed and fished into his wallet for the correct sum of money. The vendor took the money without another word and moved to the cauldron-like machine next to the counter. She took a thin wooden stick and began to swirl it around in the cauldron, gathering whisps of pink sugar strand on the end.

Touko stared, hypnotized by the wafting strands that soon turned into a plump pink blob on the end of the stick. The vendor whisked the stick out of the machine and handed it over to Byakuya, who took it with mild apprehension.

‘Thank you!’ Yasuhiro grinned, scooping his tokens back into his pocket. The vendor merely nodded.

Stepping away from the stall, Byakuya examined the mountain of sugar he held in his hand. ‘How do you even begin to eat this?’

‘Like this!’ Yasuhiro took the stick from Byakuya and smushed his face into it. When he removed it, sugar clung to his nose and cheeks. ‘Delishush!’ He managed amidst a mouthful of candyfloss.

Touko grimaced. ‘I d-don’t want to rub my face all over it…!’

‘You don’t have to,’ said Byakuya, picking a strand off the side and tearing it away with his fingers. ‘I may not have indulged in this particular teeth rotting snack before, but I have enough common sense and etiquette to be able to eat it without looking like a Neanderthal.’ He popped the strand into his mouth.

Touko followed suit, stripping away a section of the candy and stuffing it between her lips. The fluffy texture immediately dissolved on her tongue. It was the strangest sensation – as if it had never really existed at all.

Yasuhiro pouted. ‘But that’s no fun!’ As if to demonstrate, he shoved the candyfloss into Touko’s face.

She spluttered, managing to inhale a significant amount of sugar.

‘You’re not supposed to snort it, Fukawa-chi!’

Touko scowled, trying to wipe away the sticky residue on her cheeks. ‘D-Don’t shove it in m-my face then!’

Shrugging, Yasuhiro pulled the candy away from Touko and took another messy bite.

For all her scrubbing, Touko couldn’t quite rid her cheeks of the remaining smears of pink sugar. She became aware of Byakuya’s scrutinizing gaze. She rubbed her face harder with her scarf.

‘You’ve missed a bit,’ he said, gesturing to her face.

Touko frowned, wiping her scarf across her mouth and chin.

‘No,’ Byakuya reached out and plucked a blob of cotton candy off the tip of her nose.

She lifted her hand to touch her nose, gazing at the pink fluff on Byakuya’s fingertips. ‘…Thank you…’ She lifted her eyes to Byakuya’s face. He huffed and flicked the blob onto the floor.

‘Hey!’ Yasuhiro protested. ‘That was a perfectly good bit!’

‘It’s not like there’s a shortage,’ said Byakuya.

Yasuhiro was already distracted by something else to mourn the lost cotton candy anymore. He shoved the stick into Touko’s hand, and she nearly dropped it due to already having her arms full of teddy bear. ‘Let’s go on the carousel!’

He bounded away, leaving Touko and Byakuya standing bewildered.

‘D-Do you want to… go on the carousel…?’ Touko asked, trying to balance everything she held in her arms.

‘It’s not like there’s anything else to do,’ Byakuya replied. He took the cotton candy from Touko, his hand brushing against hers as he did. ‘I’ll hold that. You’ve already proved you’re incapable of carrying more than one item today.’

Touko smiled. Together they followed Yasuhiro over to the swirling lights and music that was the carousel.

 

* * *

 

The night’s wind gushed over Aoi, whipping hair across her face. It hadn’t been too cold down on the ground, but up at the very top of the Ferris wheel, it was painfully chilly. Not that low temperatures had ever really bothered her.

She craned her neck to see why the suspended seat she and Sakura sat in had not moved for a good few minutes.

‘Why do you think we’ve stopped?’ Aoi asked.

Sakura also looked down. ‘It seems the ride operator is having an argument with a passenger. We may be here for some time.’

Aoi leant back. This caused the seat to rock slightly.

‘Don’t worry, Asahina,’ Sakura assured. ‘While we’re up here, we have a wonderful view over the whole fairground.’

Perking up, Aoi straightened her back and gazed down across the city of colourful lights below. They were not ridiculously high in the sky, so she could make out people wandering around, even if they did look like dolls in a dollhouse.

‘Hey, I wonder if we can spot any of our classmates,’ said Aoi, squinting.

‘I believe that is Enoshima and Ikusaba over at the coconut stand,’ Sakura pointed. Aoi looked. Sure enough, a girl with distinctive pink pigtails stood beside a girl with black hair.

‘I think Celes-chan and Yamada are with them too!’ Aoi said, also pointing to where two other figures stood near Junko and Mukuro.

‘It looks as if Ikusaba is trying to win a prize,’ Sakura observed. ‘I’m sure she will succeed. She has impeccable aim.’

Aoi nodded in agreement. She scanned across the fairground, in search of other friends.

‘Look!’ She pointed to the carousel, where a figure with obnoxiously big hair sat astride a painted golden chicken. ‘There’s Hagakure! I always said you’d be able to spot his hair from space.’

Sakura followed Aoi’s finger to where she gestured. ‘So it is. He’s with Togami and Fukawa.’

‘Really?’ Aoi squinted. Behind Yasuhiro’s chicken, she could see Touko and Byakuya on an ebony horse. ‘Hey, they’re riding the carousel on the same horse. Maybe there were no other seats.’

‘I do not think that is the case,’ Sakura chuckled. ‘I can see plenty of empty horses…’

The pair exchanged a knowing look and burst into laughter.

‘That’s kinda cute,’ Aoi remarked. ‘In a kinda weird way.’

‘I’m sure Fukawa would say the same thing about you and I sharing a Ferris wheel seat,’ said Sakura.

Aoi giggled.

‘Is that not Kuwata and Maizono standing by the Tunnel of Love?’ Sakura pointed.

‘Oh my god, are you kidding?!’ Aoi craned her neck. ‘I bet Kuwata’s trying to lure Maizono-chan in there…’ She gritted her teeth. ‘If he tries anything—!’

Sakura placed a gentle hand on Aoi’s arm. ‘Calm yourself, my girl. They both look happy to me.’

‘You have really good eyesight, Sakura-chan.’

The Ferris wheel suddenly lurched into motion, throwing both girls back against the seat.

‘It seems the argument has been resolved,’ Sakura smiled.

Aoi pouted. ‘It’s a shame. I was enjoying being up there.’

The wheel began its slow descent. The cold weather finally getting the better of her, Aoi snuggled up to Sakura’s side, laying her head on her chest. Sakura placed an arm around Aoi.

‘Thanks for coming out to the fair tonight, Sakura-chan,’ Aoi smiled into Sakura’s coat.

‘You do not have to thank me,’ Sakura rested her head atop Aoi’s. ‘I would not miss spending an evening with you for all the world.’

**Author's Note:**

> fun fact: i started writing this back in august and have only now finished it.


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